Let’s say you’re living a perfect life with the perfect house and a perfect husband or wife, with perfect kids, and a perfect job. On top of that you’re young, gorgeous, rich, and famous ... wouldn’t you still feel like you’re missing something in your life? Most of us would probably not live a perfect life or even close to one and naturally there are times when we wish for something better for ourselves. The grass is always greener … as the saying goes. And when we do get our wish, we look for something else and wish that to be bigger or better too. It’s a vicious cycle! Sometimes, people just give up and realize that they will never be as rich or successful so they might as well quit so save themselves the embarrassment of failure. I suspect even those who are already considered perfect by most people would still find some flaw in their lives and try to change that ... and again, never be satisfied.
What if you suddenly lose it all ... your dream house, your perfect spouse, your successful career, your youth, your money, and your friends ... wouldn’t you suddenly appreciate their value more than just a collection of the traits that make you perfect? Would you regret not appreciating the things that did have and not waste your efforts on the things that you should have?
We all need a shipwreck. Or something that would make us lose our wealth, our status in society, our achievements, and who we are in order to truly appreciate the life that we have now. Something that would make us feel just darn glad to be alive while all our worldly possessions are being washed away by the ocean, as if it was cleansing our soul.
Obviously, I’m not talking about a real shipwreck. And it doesn’t have to be a life-altering event. I don’t have a perfect life myself and I’m sure glad that it’s not. But I’m thankful each and every day that I am alive and surrounded by the people I love. You can say that someone threw me a lifeboat.
